It was our last full day in Cairo having returned from Siwa Oasis. We decided to stay around the city so it was spent to visit Coptic Cairo and Islamic Cairo. 

The term "Copt" is derived from the Greek word Aigyptos, meaning "Egyptian". Today, it refers to Egyptian Orthodox Christians, who are descendants of ancient Egyptians. Coptic Cairo is a historic, predominantly Christian neighborhood within Old Cairo, Egypt, forming the Coptic Orthodox community, one of the world's oldest Christian denominations.

We took the metro to Mar Girgis station. It was interesting to see peddlers carrying their goods to sell inside the metro. A lady who stood near us on one of the our metro ride bought a few things - chocolate, socks and costume jewelleries. 

We started at Mari Gerges Church / Church of St George as it is right across from the metro station. The church is at the heart of Coptic Cairo and sits upon the northern tower of the Roman fortress of Babylon. 

Church of St George

Ruins of Babylon, Misr al-Qadimah

St Virgin Mary's Church, referred to locally as al-Mu'allaqa which means "The Suspended" or "Hanging Church". It is so named because it was built on top of the Babylon Fortress. The main body of the church is suspended over an open space between two of the Roman fortress's bastions. The floor of the church is made of palm logs and layers of masonry stretched across the gaps between those towers. When one stands in the center of the church (the nave), the Roman ground level are several meters beneath the floor. There are some glass floor panels inside to show this as this is not obvious from the outside due to the rise of the street level. 

There are other churches within the compound - churches of St Sergius and St Bacchus, St Barbara, St Cyril and St John, convent of St George. Also within the walls of Old Cairo is the Ben Ezra Synagogue. 

Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church, or Cavern Church also known as the Abu Serga Church, is one of the oldest Coptic Christian churches in Egypt, dating back to the 7th century. This church is of significance to Christians because of its link to the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt.

St Sergius and St Bacchus church

We were at Old Cairo area for about half a day, we had lunch nearby before getting on a metro to Bab El Shaariya station and walked towards Al-Hakim mosque, cutting through some sort of market. 

Al-Muizz Street (Al-Muizz li-Din Allah al-Fatimi Street) is often described as an open-air museum of Islamic monuments. We started from the north and walked towards Khan el-Khalili bazaar. The first monument is Bab Al-Futuh, a stone gate built in 1087 for defense. Walking from the metro station, we bypassed it and reached the second monument, Mosque of al-Hakim bi-Amar Allah. 

Further south, stands the 12th-century Aqmar Mosque. The mosque's stone facade is the oldest of any religious building in Cairo and decorated with lamps, niches, star forms and religious writings. 

Madrasa of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun sits between the Dome of the Sultan Qalawun and the Madrasa of Sultan Barquq. Only two of the madrasa's iwans survived. Inside, the mausoleum lies to the right of the door. It is surrounded by gilded wooden grills. Here, Sultan al-Naser Muhammad’s mother and one of his children were buried. The sultan was buried in the mausoleum of his father al-Mansur Qalawun in the building next to it. 

The plan was a casual visit to admire the architecture so we the monuments we entered were free of charge exception to baksheesh requested at a couple of the mosques. We didn't enter any of the monuments that require an entrance fee. 

We ended the walk at the alleyways of Khan El Khalili.